JUSTIFICATION BY GRACE Romans 3v21-31
"But now a righteousness of God apart from law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets".
The definite article is omitted before the first reference to "law" but is supplied before the second reference to "law." This is important to notice because the absence of the article means that it is thinking of a general principle of law, whereas the presence of the article is pointing to a specific law, namely the law which God gave to the nation of Israel. This pattern is repeated in chapter 4 where he says in verse 14 "if they which are of law (general) be heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of none effect because the law (specific) worketh wrath." When Paul therefore says" the righteousness of God apart from law is manifested" he is not only referring to the law as given to Israel but to the general principle of law affecting all human beings.
"The righteousness of God is apart from law."
Before Paul will tell us what this "righteousness of God" is, he will tell us what it is not. He presents the negative before the positive, since it is important to clear away any misunderstanding in our minds. The idea of law as a general principle represents human works, human ceremony, human effort, all the things that are part of our psyche, all the things we have been taught from birth. It is deep rooted within us that good effort deserves good reward, everyone accepts that and we live by it. The Bible itself praises effort as opposed to sloth, ambition as opposed to lack of it, and it is entirely right that we think of everything in terms of effort and reward. We have within us a system of merit. Paul is categorically saying here that this system of merit has nothing whatsoever to do with God's salvation. I cannot work for it, I cannot earn it, I don't deserve it, it has nothing to do with human works or effort or any such thing. God's righteousness is apart from law and so we have to be looking elsewhere to find favour with God.
The word used for "apart" is very strong. It is choris which means "at a space" - "completely separate from." The usage of the word in scripture is quite informative, and brings to us the full force of its meaning:
John 1 v 3 "Without Him was not anything made that was made." Anyone who understands scripture knows that this is saying that apart from Jesus Christ there would be nothing in existence.
John 15 v 5 "I am the vine, ye are the branches; he that abides in Me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit; for without Me (apart from Me) ye can do nothing." The illustration here is stark, and taken from nature. Every vine dresser knows that if the branches are cut off from the stem of the vine no fruit will be produced.
Romans 3 v 28 "Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of law."
Romans 4 v 6 "David describes the blessedness of the man unto whom God reckons righteousness apart from works."
Ephesians 2 v 12 "At that time you were without Christ (apart from Christ), being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel." The word lien is known in legal circles to refer to something which is attached to something else,(like a piece of land attached to a house); so the word alien is referring to something which is completely detached from something else.
The above references make it clear that God's righteousness, God's salvation has nothing whatsoever to do with human effort or human works, or anything that we can create to seek the favour of God. There is nothing more radical, or ridiculous to the mind of man than these words; that a person's standing before God is not based at all on keeping some law, or doing good works, or making our best efforts. This concept is absurd to every reasonable, rational human mind. It shocked the religious world of Paul's day, it shocks the religious world of the present day, it is something that would not even have entered the thinking of man, had it not come down from above, that the way to be right with God is to do nothing!; this is because God has done it all!
Our natural instinct is to say that if something is wrong we have to do something about it. It is not in our nature to sit back and say someone else can do it for me, but this is the very essence of God's way of salvation. In order to be right with God we do nothing, we simply accept what God has done. There is nothing to pay, there is nothing to do, there is nothing we can do, because it has all been done and all we have to do is receive it. This does not pander to human pride, indeed lays it in the dust, yet this is the glorious truth of salvation.
From the famous hymn "Rock of Ages" come the words of all the above in illustration;
Not the labour of my hands, can fulfil thy laws demands,
Could my zeal no respite know, could my tears for ever flow,
All for sin could not atone, Thou must save and Thou alone.
Perhaps the best illustration of this in a Bible story is to be found in Luke 18 v 9 - 14, and the best way to present it is to quote it
"And Jesus spoke this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others; two men went up into the temple to pray, the one a Pharisee and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself God, I thank thee that I am not as other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican, I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. The publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes up to heaven, but smote upon his breast and saying God be merciful to me a sinner.."
Let us listen carefully to the answer of Jesus in this story, because here appears the word "justified" which is the word Paul is using in the Roman epistle "I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone that exalteth himself shall be abased, and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted."
The way to be right with God, clearly, is not based upon anything I have done or can do but is firmly on the basis of the mercy of God. This salutary lesson, we are slow to learn, because we are full of pride in our status, in our connections, in our achievements, and none of this brings any favours from God. Again in the words of the famous hymn "Rock of Ages"
"Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to Thy cross I cling
Naked come to Thee for dress, helpless look to Thee for grace,
Foul I to the fountain fly, wash me Saviour or I die."
GOD'S RIGHTEOUSNESS IS APART FROM LAW.
Tomorrow d.v. we consider the history of the gospel.
"But now a righteousness of God apart from law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets".
The definite article is omitted before the first reference to "law" but is supplied before the second reference to "law." This is important to notice because the absence of the article means that it is thinking of a general principle of law, whereas the presence of the article is pointing to a specific law, namely the law which God gave to the nation of Israel. This pattern is repeated in chapter 4 where he says in verse 14 "if they which are of law (general) be heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of none effect because the law (specific) worketh wrath." When Paul therefore says" the righteousness of God apart from law is manifested" he is not only referring to the law as given to Israel but to the general principle of law affecting all human beings.
"The righteousness of God is apart from law."
Before Paul will tell us what this "righteousness of God" is, he will tell us what it is not. He presents the negative before the positive, since it is important to clear away any misunderstanding in our minds. The idea of law as a general principle represents human works, human ceremony, human effort, all the things that are part of our psyche, all the things we have been taught from birth. It is deep rooted within us that good effort deserves good reward, everyone accepts that and we live by it. The Bible itself praises effort as opposed to sloth, ambition as opposed to lack of it, and it is entirely right that we think of everything in terms of effort and reward. We have within us a system of merit. Paul is categorically saying here that this system of merit has nothing whatsoever to do with God's salvation. I cannot work for it, I cannot earn it, I don't deserve it, it has nothing to do with human works or effort or any such thing. God's righteousness is apart from law and so we have to be looking elsewhere to find favour with God.
The word used for "apart" is very strong. It is choris which means "at a space" - "completely separate from." The usage of the word in scripture is quite informative, and brings to us the full force of its meaning:
John 1 v 3 "Without Him was not anything made that was made." Anyone who understands scripture knows that this is saying that apart from Jesus Christ there would be nothing in existence.
John 15 v 5 "I am the vine, ye are the branches; he that abides in Me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit; for without Me (apart from Me) ye can do nothing." The illustration here is stark, and taken from nature. Every vine dresser knows that if the branches are cut off from the stem of the vine no fruit will be produced.
Romans 3 v 28 "Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of law."
Romans 4 v 6 "David describes the blessedness of the man unto whom God reckons righteousness apart from works."
Ephesians 2 v 12 "At that time you were without Christ (apart from Christ), being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel." The word lien is known in legal circles to refer to something which is attached to something else,(like a piece of land attached to a house); so the word alien is referring to something which is completely detached from something else.
The above references make it clear that God's righteousness, God's salvation has nothing whatsoever to do with human effort or human works, or anything that we can create to seek the favour of God. There is nothing more radical, or ridiculous to the mind of man than these words; that a person's standing before God is not based at all on keeping some law, or doing good works, or making our best efforts. This concept is absurd to every reasonable, rational human mind. It shocked the religious world of Paul's day, it shocks the religious world of the present day, it is something that would not even have entered the thinking of man, had it not come down from above, that the way to be right with God is to do nothing!; this is because God has done it all!
Our natural instinct is to say that if something is wrong we have to do something about it. It is not in our nature to sit back and say someone else can do it for me, but this is the very essence of God's way of salvation. In order to be right with God we do nothing, we simply accept what God has done. There is nothing to pay, there is nothing to do, there is nothing we can do, because it has all been done and all we have to do is receive it. This does not pander to human pride, indeed lays it in the dust, yet this is the glorious truth of salvation.
From the famous hymn "Rock of Ages" come the words of all the above in illustration;
Not the labour of my hands, can fulfil thy laws demands,
Could my zeal no respite know, could my tears for ever flow,
All for sin could not atone, Thou must save and Thou alone.
Perhaps the best illustration of this in a Bible story is to be found in Luke 18 v 9 - 14, and the best way to present it is to quote it
"And Jesus spoke this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others; two men went up into the temple to pray, the one a Pharisee and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself God, I thank thee that I am not as other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican, I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. The publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes up to heaven, but smote upon his breast and saying God be merciful to me a sinner.."
Let us listen carefully to the answer of Jesus in this story, because here appears the word "justified" which is the word Paul is using in the Roman epistle "I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone that exalteth himself shall be abased, and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted."
The way to be right with God, clearly, is not based upon anything I have done or can do but is firmly on the basis of the mercy of God. This salutary lesson, we are slow to learn, because we are full of pride in our status, in our connections, in our achievements, and none of this brings any favours from God. Again in the words of the famous hymn "Rock of Ages"
"Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to Thy cross I cling
Naked come to Thee for dress, helpless look to Thee for grace,
Foul I to the fountain fly, wash me Saviour or I die."
GOD'S RIGHTEOUSNESS IS APART FROM LAW.
Tomorrow d.v. we consider the history of the gospel.
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